U.S. Senator Jim Inhofe's likely Democratic opponent, State Senator Andrew Rice (D), praised the Council of American Islamic Relations, at their first fund raising dinner for their new Oklahoma Chapter on the 12th of November in Tulsa. What troubles me is that I didn't read about this in any local newspapers but found this information on Dubai-based Islamonline (update: the article has been removed but I coped and pasted it below) whose purpose is to unify the world-wide community of Islam, I guess!
The Council of American Islamic Relations has a long and troubling history that continues to this day. This is an organization that grew out of the Muslim Brotherhood/Hamas infrastructure in the United States which has been well-established by the FBI. Their efforts (updated linked) to help Sami al-Arian, a convicted terror supporter and co-founder of the parent organization of CAIR, the Islamic Association of Palestine (IAP), is well known. Al-Arian founded IAP along with Mousa Marzook, the current Deputy Political Director of Hamas.
What makes this more troubling is that Rice's brother, David Rice, was killed in the World Trade Center attack on 9/11. I sincerely question why Rice was in the company of CAIR, praising their work.
Did Rice not do his homework or if he did, what does that tell you?
In September, I found another press release on Islamonline regarding a presentation CAIR-OK said they delivered to the Oklahoma State School Boards Association about Islam with offers to provide Islamic materials to the Oklahoma Public Schools throughout the state. The OSSBA denies that CAIR did this presentation.
An email sent to CAIR-OK about this went unanswered.
Why the interest in Oklahoma over in the Middle East? It seems to me, that Islamonline keeps the Middle East informed about the Islamic movement in Oklahoma.
CAIR tried unsuccessfully to get their name removed as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terror funding trial. Furthermore, CAIR never denied their relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas that I am aware. Two of the top officials at CAIR were secretly recorded by the FBI as their planned or attended a meeting with Hamas operatives in America. These officials, Omar Ahmad and Nihad Awad are still at CAIR in top positions.
Omar Ahmad denied in congressional testimony CAIR received any money from Holy Land Foundation but this cancelled check shows otherwise:
Government surveillance tapes transcripts show that CAIR's founders were fully aware of the support HLF leaders voiced for Hamas well before accepting this money.
The Islamic Society of Tulsa was instrumental in CAIR's fund raising banquet. So what does that tell us? Sheryl Siddiqui, active for years in the Tulsa community is pictured below at the dinner along with State Senator Rice and others. She also serves on the board at CAIR-OK.
Far left: Razi Hashmi, CAIR-OK, Ahmed Rehab far right standing, Yaser Tabbara 2nd from right standing, Andrew Rice: 3rd from right standing. Sheryl Siddiqui sitting on far right.
Source: Islamic Society of Tulsa's December newsletter.
One of the attendees, Yaser Tabbara of CAIR, was involved with the firing of a DePaul professor, Thomas Klocek, for speaking up about his pro-Israel stand to a group of Muslims in 2004. Just google Yaser Tabbara and Thomas Klocek for the details of the letter Tabbara wrote to DePaul.
A couple days ago, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab, who also attended the Tulsa dinner, issued a press release of dismay about the sentence of Dr. Abdelhaleem Ashqar who refused to testify in a terror funding case. It is no small matter that Ashqar is refusing to testify. Ashqar is possibly enabling the terrorist activities of Hamas to continue. Prosecutors argued Ashqar's refusal to testify was motivated by a desire to "promote terrorism."
Somehow CAIR doesn't see this as a problem.
The history of CAIR is well documented and it's being embraced by the Islamic Society of Tulsa and fits a pattern of their involvement with Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
Update 9/3/08: If you get a chance read a more recent post I did about Rice here.
See also:
The article referenced above was found on Dubai-based Islamonline which I copied and pasted:
(TULSA, OK, 11/12/07) – More than 140 people turned out on Saturday for the first annual fund-raising banquet of CAIR’s Oklahoma chapter (CAIR-OK) in Tulsa.
Guest speakers included CAIR National Chapter Development Director Yaser Tabbara, CAIR-Chicago Executive Director Ahmed Rehab and Oklahoma State Senator Andrew Rice.
Senator Andrew Rice told banquet attendees: “What could be more American than defending the constitution? That’s what they’re doing. CAIR is defending the constitutional rights of fellow Americans.”
CAIR-OK Executive Director Razi Hashmi said: “We need to create and cultivate positive communal characteristics of Muslims in America, so that people will know us as contributors to the betterment of American society.”
CONTACT: CAIR-OK Executive Director Razi Hashmi, 405-248-5853, E-Mail: rhashmi@cair.com; CAIR-OK Chairperson Lobna Hewedi, E-Mail: lhewedi@cair.com; CAIR-OK Board Member Saad Mohammed, 405-210-4775, E-Mail: islam68@cox.net
9/10/07 CAIR-Ok Razi Hashmi blog referenced Andrew Rice
Download IST november_2007_final_draft.pdf
Fooling the Masses in Oklahoma Note: zTruth recognizes there a many fine Muslims in America who simply want to practice their religion who also reject Islamism, or the pursuit of Islamic rule. This would include the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) and their affiliates in the U.S.. When a Muslim or Islamic organization professes their strong community service and interfaith goals in cities and towns all across America, but then has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood - it's disturbing and two-faced. If you believe I've made a mistake, please send me an e-mail to ztruth@ymail.com and include a credible proof source to help show me where I messed up. Upon confirmation I will gladly make the correction
The Islamic Society of Tulsa protrays themselves as peace loving people. Why did they hook up with CAIR? Anyone who has studied this Islamic organization knows where they are coming from. This is shocking.
Posted by: John - Owasso | November 25, 2007 at 09:57 AM
Shocking,just shocking. Thanks for this information. We would never find information like this in the newspaper.
Posted by: Mary Jane | November 26, 2007 at 08:09 AM
Why does it seeem that Democrats want to appease those that want to destroy our country? This is serious, serious times. How in the he** can it be that what is right and what is wrong break along party lines?
Posted by: Michael | December 07, 2007 at 06:17 PM
I know Yaser Tabbara personally and have for many years, I also know some of his friends who work at CAIR. For what it matters, I am a white Irish American and a born again Christian. I've been out of contact with Yaser and his friends for a couple of years since I moved out of the area. I can testify to his character due to the fact that I knew him well and considered him a close friend for over 10 years (still do). For what it's worth I also tend to be critical of people's character and could hardly be described as naive. I know the article does not specifically condemn Yaser of supporting terrorist activity, but he was a founding member and head of the Chicago chapter of CAIR, and as such is a reflection of the organization. Yaser is a nonviolent man who wants to change the world through his ideals not through violence. He does not support terrorist activity and on many occasions has talked about how wrong it is. He described the philosophy of CAIR as being the same. We must not lump all Muslims into one category, like us they are all different. As a matter of fact, the many Muslims I knew in Chicago used peaceful rhetoric and spurned terrorist philosophy (except one, unrelated to CAIR). Yaser has told me himself that he has issued condemning statements against terrorists acts to the media and the media would not publish his statements. Let's be careful not to paint this organization with a broad brush. I think that if many reading/writing this article knew these individuals they would have a more favorable viewpoint.
Posted by: Jacqui | January 14, 2008 at 02:01 PM
Newly released evidence has revealed that the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR) worked privately to pressure DePaul University to fire adjunct professor Thomas Klocek for telling Muslim activist students that their views on Middle-East issues were wrong. According to a letter to DePaul's President from CAIR's executive director M. Yaser Tabbara, "In light of …Mr. Klocek's biased remarks, we are requesting that the University…reprimand Mr. Klocek for his conduct by permanently dismissing him from any teaching post at DePaul University." (Exhibit # DPU 945).
At a student fair on September 15, 2004, during the same month that DePaul launched its Islamic World Studies Program, Professor Klocek engaged several Muslim students in a heated discussion about the Arab-Israeli conflict. He strongly disputed their assertions that Israeli treatment of Palestinians was equivalent to the Nazi treatment of the Jews. He also cited a Chicago Sun-Times columnist who was quoting an Aljazeera writer to the effect that although not all Muslims are terrorists, today most terrorists are Muslim. Later, in another connection between DePaul and the Muslim community, a DePaul Trustee, Michael Murad, wrote to DePaul's president asking, "What steps have been taken to ensure that DePaul programs in the Middle East are not undermined by this incident?" (#DPU 003174)
According to documents furnished by DePaul in response to document discovery in the lawsuit between Klocek and DePaul, less than a month after the student fair incident, on October 12, 2004, CAIR's Tabbara sent an email to those who opposed Klocek, stating, "…we [CAIR] will be ready to file a formal complaint with the Illinois State Board of Higher Education… This will also be accompanied by a press release, a press conference or both." (DPU 003493)
Tabbara's email also referred to a letter sent to DePaul's president the next day in which Tabbara made the following demands of DePaul, "In light of the grave implications of Mr. Klocek's biased remarks, we are requesting that the University take appropriate and immediate responsive action…including:
1. Provide a formal written apology to the students who experienced the incident firsthand.
2. Reprimand Mr. Klocek for his conduct by permanently dismissing him from any teaching post at DePaul University."
for more:
http://www.campus-watch.org/article/id/2932
Posted by: zTruth | January 15, 2008 at 09:20 AM